Faces2Hearts - A Documentary series for the European Union
Nelly and I spent a month visiting EU funded projects in Argentina. Over 4000 km, 7 videos and a zillion Instagram Stories later, we felt as if we had run a creative production marathon: exhausted but fulfilled. DocumentaryTravel/LifestyleA lot of great stories start with a simple application process. When Nelly and I applied to be part of this unique project, we had no idea the things we would end up doing together in my beloved Argentina. Walking 12 hours through the Andes, editing in the back seat of a pickup truck as it drove on dirt roads, flying the drone into heavy winds loaded with sand, talking to true activists and isolated communities in remote corners of Argentina were just some of the memories we will forever carry with us. But as we collected these moving experiences at a frantic pace, we also had to deliver. How did we get it done? What did we manage to produce? Read on!
Deliverables:
7 video between 3-5 minutes (1 per project)
1 day of Instagram Stories a week.
1 “On the Road” video. At least 40 high quality photos.
A professional Adventure
The innovative communication project they called Faces2Hearts recruited 20 video creators (aka “vloggers”). 10 from Europe, 10 from the destination countries. They teamed them up into 10 duos composed of a local and an European. Each duo would be travelling for a month in one of the destination countries visiting and creating videos about EU funded projects and their experience travelling together. Nelly and I were the third duo to go on this unprecedented professional adventure. The destination country was my country of origin: Argentina. We didn’t know each other, but we walked through the Andes for 12 hours together. We car pool karaoked our way through the thousands kilometres and tons of challenges we would encounter. We didn’t just survive. We created all these videos, photos and stories along the way and I still wonder just how we managed.
The Editing Seat
Argentina is a very big country. The local EU delegation wanted to showcase the variety of projects and regions they reach and this meant we spent many many hours on the road. The 14 days marathon in the North and North East of the country included 5 projects and over 4000 km in a pickup truck. Before starting, I already knew we would be spending hours and hours driving, which lead to one logical conclusion: I’d be editing in the truck. A dear friend lent me a power inverter and I bought a couple more accessories to make sure I had a working office right in the back seat. This is were I edited the first 2 videos and prepared the 3rd one. I had worked in a car before, but never like this. Truth is that although it is a bit uncomfortable because the car sways and shakes, I also had no distraction and the many hours of road went really fast when I was busy editing.
Nelly: @nelly.dosreis. Muriel:@murielrebora
In our planet.
Back during our training week in Brussels, all duos had been asked to create a short video introducing the duo. We were given 24 hours to complete the task, which was also a way to test the waters of our dynamic when facing a creative challenge. Back then, I had the idea of using my 360 camera to grab the viewer’s attention with a tiny planet effect. As well as I catching and light-hearted, the tiny planet would help communicate the idea of travelling. Once we were on the road, we decided to keep the tiny planet style for all of our Instagram Stories introductions and closings. The effect is not only visually impactful and quick to achieve, but it also turned us into cartoon-like characters which allowed us to playfully exaggerate our personalities expressing our emotions quickly and effectively.
Would you do it again?
Many times along the way I asked myself why on Earth was I doing this. Big challenges tend to push us so much we almost regret having embarked on the adventure at all. But just as many times as I was on the brink of regret – if not more – I was struck by a powerful and sudden feeling of eternity and gratefulness. It’s a mix of thrill, fear, humility, appreciation and joy. Every time it hits me, it’s brought by a subtly balanced combination of landscapes, nature, people and a creative task. I believe this is the ultimate feeling humans seek. I know it is the one I seek in everything I do. This is why if you’d ask me, the answer is: yes, I would do it again. And I would try to do better.
The Gear
Cameras
- Sony a7 sII w Zeiss 16-35 Lens & Rokinon Cine Lenses 50mm and 85mm.
- Mavic Pro Drone
- Samsung Galaxy S9+ Camera
- Garmin Virb 360
- Lumix lx100
- Sony a6400
Sound
- Audiotechnica PRO 70 lav mic
- Rode VideoMic Pro
- Zoom H2 (yesss, it’s ooold and I love it)
- Sennheiser wireless lav mics
- Sony Boom Mic
Rigging
- Benro Aero Travel Tripod
- Zhiyun Crane Gimbal
- DJI Osmo 2 Gimbal
“Moments like this act as magical interludes, placing our hearts at the edge of our souls: fleetingly, yet intensely, a fragment of eternity has come to enrich time. ”
– Muriel Barbery. “The elegance of the hedgehog.”
My application to the Faces2Hearts project.
The Duo Intro video we made during training.
Being Dora
This is the final “On the Road” or Backstage video that Nelly edited all through October from back home in Rotterdam. This one took a bit because we had so much footage and also Nelly was back at work in her full time job so she had to find the free gaps to work on it. While doing it, she texted me several times saying how much she was cracking up from watching the footage. What she didn’t mention is that she would get away with making my secret nickname (given to me by my boyfriend and quickly adopted by her as soon as she heard about it) go public! So yes, I wear short hear, I’m always travelling and carrying – at least – a big backpack.
Follow all the upcoming duos!!!!! YouTube / Instagram / Faces2Hearts